When the Caged Bird Sings
by Shun'u
Summary: Seiju had been behaving so oddly lately. The brilliant man whom she had married was no longer there. Not in his eyes. Not in his voice. In his place was a man who brooded and ignored the world that continued to revolve around him...
1. Prologue: Let Imagination Take Flight

Title:

**When the Caged Bird Sings**

Author:

**Shun'u [ff.net ID: 61008]**

Genre:

**Drama**

Series:

**Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)**

Rating:

**PG**

Notes:

**(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio**

**Disclaimer: **Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and © Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties.

**November 2001**

**W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S**

**A Juline Fan Fiction**

By Hanashiro, Shun'u

**Prologue: Let Imagination Take Flight**

Father has always been a distant memory; his comforting touch and masculine scent an elusive one that I can barely recall in daydreams and flights of fancy. Years have passed since he was an active part of my life, and yet I still find myself crying at night for his presence. During the deepest hours between sunset and sunrise, my subconscious mind has a will of its own and drags my conscious self along as it imagines a life with Father by my side to guide me.

In these scenes I am a little girl again. Black hair in pigtails and dressed in soft pinks and joyful reds, I traipse along after him as he takes me for rural walks on the grounds that wrap around the House of Kenga. He is smiling as he describes to me the different uses for flowers and trees, uses much more practical than I would have attributed to them at that young age; it was enough that they were beautiful.

We stop by one of the stone benches that are scattered intermittently along the path for the weary traveler to rest. He sits and I climb up into his lap to better wrap chubby arms around his strong neck. He lets me do this and we sit in contentment. Father always had a distinctive fragrance on his skin. Like wood burning, it was warm and smoky, sharp but pleasant. Now I realize that it was sandalwood that was in his hair and on his skin from long hours of meditation in incense saturated rooms. But back then, as a child, I did not try to dissect the how and why. I simply accepted the scent as being an aspect of my Father, much as the raven-wing color of his hair, or the warm chestnut-brown of his eyes.

I let my cheek rest upon his chest and listened for the strong beating of his heart. It was there, that thump-thump that was so strong it nearly leapt from him and into me. Sitting there, with eyes half-drooping, I breathed in time with the rise and fall of his chest. Our closest times together were often when nothing was said or done. Sooner than was welcomed, something disrupted the peaceful atmosphere, as if life could not bear to stand still and be forever preserved in the perfection of silence.

Father laughed at the brown and gray squirrel and pointed him out to me. "Look, Juline, we have a friendly visitor."

"He looks funny, Papa. What's the matter with his cheeks?"

"He seems to have been a little greedy and stuffed his mouth before he could finish chewing and swallowing. Not unlike my Juline." Father teased.

He pinched my cheek for emphasis. Father sometimes did that to get my attention. It put me out of sorts whenever Kio tried to pinch my cheeks. They were constantly in a partially blushing state no matter what the weather or my disposition was. But when Father did it, I knew that he was just showing his affection and not picking on me like Kio. Still, I pouted a little to show that I didn't appreciate being treated like a child. He just laughed at me some more. Honestly, sometimes I thought that Father would never take me seriously; he seemed to want to keep me forever swathed in the soft restraints of childhood.

Needless to say, I couldn't keep my serious expression for long. Father was the center of my universe, the one foundation that I clung to with a passion. Mother existed, but she was like wispy smoke compared to his scorching flame. She fed me, and taught numbers and letters, and how to color inside the lines. She always made sure that my skies were blue and my fields were green.

But Father...

Father taught me how to fight with Bo and sword, with hands and feet. He made me understand that my mind and body could be more deadly than any weapons could be. Under his guidance I thrived. He let me color outside the lines and make the sky red just because red was my favorite color. He let me skip out on lessons if the sun was shining so that we could go fishing on the lake.

That was why I almost hated my dreams of Father. For in them I could believe that anything was possible in the whole wide world, and that was not so. When he died, I think that he took a huge chunk out of my soul. Not half, but greater than that. I still remember the day we were walking hand in hand and I was dressed in palest yellow. Then and there I should have realized that something awful was going to happen that day. They say that yellow is the color of death. Yellow is too bright of a color; nothing can live up the expectations of being in a constant state of joy, therefore the radiance of sunbeams can only serve to illuminate the inevitable disappointments and tragedies in life.

We had been talking about something inconsequential. Maybe the discussion was about what we were going to have for dinner that night, I'm not sure anymore. Anyhow, the mood had changed sometime after we lost sight of the dojo. Father became quiet; for him that was not a normal state to be in. He was always laughing and joking, always a prankster outside of the dojo where he was heir to the school. With me he was even more laid back. Which is why I picked up on his mood so quickly. He wasn't acting normal.

He was talking about family and legacies, destiny and honor, and all sorts of abstract things that my young mind could barely wrap around. Some confusion must have shown on my face because Father suddenly stopped and tapped my shoulder. I gazed up at his towering form and wondered at the frown that pulled his handsome face down.

"Juline, I have to ask a favor of you."

"What is it, Papa? I'll do it," I promised with absolute faith that whatever task he set would be within my power to complete. How was I supposed to know?

"I want you to keep this." He handed me a small letter opener that was designed to look like a katana encased in black lacquered sheath. I slipped the tiny sword out and found to my delight that it was sharpened to a razor's edge. "It is the Kenga clan's most valued treasure. Will you keep it safe for me, my Juline?"

"Yes, Papa. But why don't you keep it?" A scary thought took root in my mind. "What if I lose it? What if I lose the family treasure, Papa?"

"You won't lose it, Juline." He knelt down to my level and looked directly into my eyes. "I have faith in you. Remember, this is a secret between you and me, all right?"

"But how come you can't keep it, Papa?"

Father's face grew sad. I almost blurted out a tearful apology because it hurt me so much to have hurt him, no matter how inadvertently, but he answered me before the words could tumble out. "I'm going away for a little while, Juline."

Fear trembled on my lips. "Away?"

"Yes, I'm going into the mountains to train, to become a great warrior worthy of this dojo and our clan."

"But you're already a great warrior, Papa!" I would have made any excuse to keep Father by my side, but in this case it was true. "You're the best fighter our clan has ever had. Everyone says so." A brilliant plan occurred to me. "Let's go see Grandpa and he'll tell you what I say is true."

Father laughed a little at this. "My Juline, I'm going to miss you while I'm away," he said. And I knew, somehow I knew that he would not be swayed. "Take care of your mother while I'm away, okay? And when I come back I'll expect you to be the best fighter in the world."

I remember nodding obediently at this point, but not much else. Somehow my memories of Father were always focused on that one moment in time, that late autumn day when the leaves had turned from green to yellow, orange, red and brown, and they had already begun to blanket the ground and leave the trees bare and frightening. As I grew into adolescence it began to eat at my insides why I could barely remember my early childhood with Father and had an even harder time remembering Mother at all even though she still lived. It was as if a great wall had come between the past and me, and there was only a single glimmering doorway that connected past with present, in which this one memory stood.

**Author's Notes:**

What do you think? Is there potential to continue? ^_^ To those of you following my Inuyasha stories, I'm still working on them. *cough* They're just coming along very slowly right now… On a good note, Inuyasha the Movie is coming out December 22 in the theatres. And for any RK fans out there the second set of OVAs (Jinchuu Arc) are due to be released December 19, 2001, and February 2002.


	2. Whispers in the Night

Title:

**When the Caged Bird Sings**

Author:

**Shun'u [ff.net ID: 61008]**

Genre:

**Drama**

Series:

**Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)**

Rating:

**PG**

Notes:

**(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio**

**Disclaimer: **Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and (c) Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties.

**November 2001**

**W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S**

**A Juline Fan Fiction**

By Hanashiro, Shun'u

**Part 1: Whispers in the Night**

_Juline..._

"Papa?" 

_Juline..._

Juline spun in a tight circle, glancing a little fearfully over her shoulder to see who had imitated her father's voice so perfectly. She didn't know if she would have felt better for seeing something. The point was mute as nothing was there but the House of Kenga rising out of the ubiquitous mist. Its dark wood structure was somehow more ominous this evening. The brown wood turned black at night, setting off white paper screens and making them glow with a ghostly light that illuminated the neatly arranged red tiles across the roof.

She shivered and rubbed her arms to encourage greater circulation. Quickening her steps, Juline made haste. She was headed... she didn't remember where she was headed. Her skull felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls into it. Thinking was a slow process.

"Is... is this a dream?" she asked out loud.__

The timidly spoken question faded into lonely obscurity, leaving Juline without any answers and more violent shivers. She bit her lip.

"Okay, Juline. Calm down. You're letting your imagine run away with you. There aren't any monsters out here. This is Kenga land and no one can enter it unless they're friends. You've been letting Kio scare you with ghost stories."

Feeling a little calmer, Juline resumed walking. She still didn't know where she was headed, or what she was doing outside in the middle of the night, but she reasoned that at least she wasn't a sitting duck when she was in motion. A few minutes later she began talking to herself just to hear a sound other than the hollow tip tap of her slipper-shod feet.

"Juline, you idiot, you can't just walk on all night aimlessly." Talking to herself didn't feel so weird any more. Maybe it was something that just required practice. "Since you don't know where you're going, do you remember what you were doing last? What did you do all day?"

She thought back to her morning.

***

"Kio! Wait for me!"

The black-haired teenager looked back over his shoulder towards the person calling him. "Hurry up, Juline. We're gonna be late again if you don't."

Juline huffed and puffed as she came shoulder to shoulder with her childhood friend. She had had to sprint in order to catch up to him. "It wasn't my fault this morning." Kio's smirk made Juline defensive. "Hey! Mother made me late, okay."

"Your mom?" Kio was a little surprised. Usually Juline was late because of the extra training she always tried to cram into her mornings, or when she lost track of time while talking to her grandfather or Ryoku. Lately it was the latter case, he thought a little sourly. "How'd she make you late?"

"She wanted to show me a kimono she made for me," Juline said. She swung her schoolbag at her side and skipped a little ahead of him.

"Kimono..." Kio stopped in his tracks and tried to picture tomboyish Juline in a ladylike kimono. The picture his reprobate mind conjured was of Juline in a formal kimono with her hair done up in elaborate loops and pinned into a loose bun at the base of her neck. Then he imagined her getting into a fight with Hara and drawing weapons out of the hidden arsenal in her kimono. Sai, tanto blades, nunchakus[i], shuriken... she was even using her sharp hair sticks as weapons.

"Kio?" Juline waved a hand in front of his face. He was turning red and looked in danger of asphyxiating.

Kio tried to hold it in, but there was only so much that he could humanly withstand. He finally gave up and began laughing uproariously at the ridiculous scene his brain had conjured. Juline caught onto the fact that he was laughing at her when Kio would calm down to gasping chuckles only to look at her and start all over in hysterics again.

"Kio," she warned.

Kio kept on laughing.

Classmates who walked the same path as they did to school were pausing to give them odd looks. Juline tried a couple more times to get Kio's attention before she gave into her urge and kicked him on the shin. Hard. And she aimed directly over the bruise that she had inflicted on him earlier that week too. Kio yelled and hopped on his other leg, which she promptly swept out from under him, causing him to land on his derriere on the pavement. Satisfied with her work, Juline clapped imaginary dust from her hands and tossed Kio a sweet smile that practically issued a challenge in itself before skipping off to school.

Kio lay a little stunned on the green earth. Blood suffused his cheeks and he thanked the gods that Juline had left. He would have been hard pressed to explain the reason for his sudden blush.

***

School proceeded as usual for them. Rarely did anything remotely eventful ever happen at their school. The student body for the most part consisted of upper-middle class families since their prefecture and district had many career people residing in it. A lot of students had teachers for parents, and those that did not had parents who were doctors or lawyers.

Juline and Kio, along with a few of their martial arts friends, were actually in the minority at school. Juline being heir to the House of Kenga and Kio's father having been in line for prospectively becoming the next master of said clan, but choosing instead to follow his heart and marrying the love of his life. Now the Shiga family was renowned throughout the district as having the best food and service at their Chinese restaurant.

Still, they never felt their difference from other students. They went to school. They learned. They participated in the expected clubs. Then they went home to resume their true training as martial artists.

It was at the Kenga compound that Kio spent most of his free time outside of school. Once he was done helping his mom around the restaurant with chores that she didn't have the time or strength for, he went to the House of Kenga.

As a child he had played hide and seek with Juline, Hara, and Kei under its eaves. In the dojo was where he had discovered his love of the arts. Grandfather Kenga was the person who helped him learn his kanji when he was struggling early on in school. Ryoku was his uncle and honorary father figure when his own father disappeared for stretches at a time with only the departing words, "I'll be back," to comfort his family. Juline was his best friend. Everything that he loved outside of his immediate family was at Kenga.

It was only natural that Kio considered Kenga to be his home.

So it was that he dashed alongside Juline to her ancestral home after school.

***

"We're home!" Juline hollered as soon as they entered the dojo.

All of the other students froze mid-swing, mid-punch, mid-kick, or mid-sweep as the case may be, and stared at the couple entering like twin tornados across the threshold. Most of the afternoon students at Kenga were male and ranging anywhere from fourteen to twenty-five. Afternoon and early morning were the prime times for practice and everyone who was serious about their training made it a point to appear for at least one of the two sessions in the day.

The two reasons for the training schedule oddity were completely oblivious to their fellow students' curiosity. It hadn't yet occurred to either of them that they served as daily entertainment for their peers.

"I beat you fair and square, Kio."

Kio's dark eyes widened incredulously. "You had those guys hold me back while you got a head start, Juline."

"Who?" Juline tugged her long brown hair into a ponytail and secured it with a red satin ribbon. "Me? No way. They did that all on their own."

"After you yelled bloody murder." Kio grumbled. "They thought I was some pervert attacking you."

"You _were_ attacking me," she pointed out.

Kio tightened the royal blue belt around his trim waist. "I was only paying you back for stealing my lunch."

Hara had been following the conversation back and forth for quite some time. It was at this last that he felt he needed to support his friend. "Juline, you've got a bottomless stomach. Why don't you just bring two lunches instead of eating Kio's all the time?"

"Jeez, I didn't steal his lunch," she said defensively. "I just had the apple, for crying out loud."

"And the pickles," Kio added.

Juline glared and growled only loud enough for him to hear, "Thanks for the input."

"Any time." He winked outrageously, drawing an involuntary giggle from her.

Juline's laughter was a cue for the others to clear the dojo of weapons, straw dummies and tumbling mats.

It always worked the same every day. Kio and Juline would enter the dojo in a rush of energy, usually arguing about some insignificant slight one perceived the other to have committed. Once their argument was over and the tension of a full day was released, they would get serious and begin their training; which for them consisted of hand-to-hand combat with no holds barred. Anything was up for grabs and they could use weapons if they managed to get their hands on them, but most of the time they stuck to empty hand techniques and acrobatic acts that left the others in awe of the pair's skill level.

The students had been in training roughly the same amount of time as others their age. Because of this they were able to measure their progress against each other since they had learned together from the beginning. Not so with Juline and Kio. They had been born and bred into the fighting world. Grandfather Kenga would sometimes tell stories of how the two babies would be kicking at each other in the crib that they shared as infants, only to be found half an hour later sleeping as peacefully as if nothing adverse had transpired.

This aspect of Juline and Kio's relationship carried into young adulthood, much to everyone's equal measures of dread and delight. Although neither knew it, their sparring gave the other students a chance to learn new techniques and combinations. Juline was the acrobat. She had no qualms about heights and would leap from peak to peak when they fought outdoors. Her lack of fear also allowed her to experiment with new moves, constantly adapting to the situation and making the best of each. Kio was the clever fighter. He could sneak through any defense without anyone knowing the wiser until he had them pinned to the ground. His technique was textbook precise. He was also strong. Almost abnormally so for someone his of size, and Juline wasn't far behind in that respect.

***

The two opponents squared off in the center of the dojo. Juline comfortably dressed in her black leotard and short battle kimono, and Kio in his blue collared shirt and faded gi with a blue belt. Juline figured that she had less than a second to respond to Kio should he attack from the distance he stood from her. It was enough for her to dodge and maybe, if she was quick, counterattack with a back kick straight to the solar plexus.

With Kio it was difficult to tell what would work. They had practically lived in each other's skin growing up so it was second nature to anticipate each other's moves. Juline had noticed that lately it was getting harder to surprise Kio with her attacks. There wasn't an offensive attack that she hadn't tried against him at least once, and Kio never forgot a move. Juline started circling.

Kio followed her lead and moved in counterpoint so that they maintained the same distance apart, a comfortable distance. A sliding kick would make contact. A sweep would be just short of reaching her unless he shuffled first. Kio liked fighting with his hands so he figured that he'd just have to get closer. But how should he go about it?

Juline tugged at the pink straps of her fighting outfit that had a tendency to slip off her shoulders constantly. Kio tracked her motion and a wickedly inspired idea came to mind. He grinned. It was a dirty trick, but he wasn't about to lose a match for the sake of being a gentleman. Not when everyone in the dojo was watching them like hawks.

"Juline, what're you bothering with the straps for, it's not like you have anything worth hiding beneath it."

Absolute silence.

Juline turned an interesting shade of red.

Kio let her see his smirk.

Juline let out a battle cry the likes of which none of them would hear in the rest of their lifetimes.

Kio choked on his laugh and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. He frantically waved his hands in a conciliatory manner in hopes that Juline would see that he had only meant his jibe as a joke. She did not.

"Whoa! W- wait, Juline!" He ran from the charging girl who had just picked up a lethal looking crimson hilted katana. "It was a joke. A joke!"

"Get back here, Kio!" Juline failed to see the humor. "Take your punishment like a man and stand still!"

"Heck no!" Kio made sure that there were many meters, and innocent bystanders, between them. "Not unless you put that sword down."

Juline glared and sheathed the katana before handing it off to Kei, a classmate as well as fellow martial artist with wavy brown hair that constantly flopped into his eyes, obscuring them from view. Kei felt a little ill at the prospect of getting close enough to Juline to take the weapon. Only Hara's prodding at his back and Kio's beseeching glance gave him the courage to reach towards the angry girl. The sword was slapped down into his hand hard enough to cause a minor welt to swell. Kei managed to keep hold of the sword and swiftly withdrew to the sidelines. He blew on his stinging hand and winced at the diagonal mark already forming.

A huge weight lifted from Kio's shoulders when he saw Juline weaponless. The Kenga clan practiced many martial arts and none of its students were ever denied the knowledge of any, with the one exception of kenjutsu. The art of the sword was reserved for family and the next appointed leader of the clan. Only Juline and Ryoku were taught sword fighting by Grandfather Kenga. Kio had managed to glean some knowledge by helping Juline practice, but he didn't have the formal education in it that she did. He would rather have sparred with _anything _other than swords.

"Well, Kio?" Juline scowled. "Are you ready for a beating?"

"Huh?" Kio snapped to attention. "Yeah, yeah..." His grin returned when he realized that Juline was within arms reach. She was too irritated to notice for herself. He wasn't about to give her time to figure it out. "Here I come!"

Kio charged and grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey!" Juline yelled indignantly. She shrugged him off and snapped her arms out in a wedge block, both of her forearms stopping his from coming together around her upper body.

He let his arms fall away and followed to motion to bring them inside her guard and slide over her chest and grab at the shoulder straps again. This time when Juline broke his hold he kept hold of the straps and brought them down over her arms, tangling the girl up in her clothes before twisting the loose cloth until she was tied up.

"Why you!" Juline jerked her arms out of the loose confinement. "Beating me won't be that easy, Kio."

Kio gave her a cheeky grin. "I didn't think it would. But at least I got a free grope for my trouble."

"ARGH!"

Juline snapped a kick at his face that would have been extremely painful if he hadn't deflected it at the last moment with an open palm block. As it was his right hand stung like the devil. Then it was on for real and they were kicking, blocking, punching, and dodging. All in all they were trying to kill each other in the most uncivilized manner possible. The dojo was completely silent but for the sound of flesh striking flesh and grunts of exertion peppered with controlled breathing.

Against the east wall Hara and Kei leaned side by side and watched with eager eyes. They were of the same age as Kio and Juline, and yet both were behind the pair in skill. Their abilities never seemed more deficient than during these afternoon spar session, when they could see for themselves where they should be versus where they stood. Had it been at another dojo, they might have been ridiculed for their inferiority. Not so here. The Kenga clan took care of its own. If a student was weak, that was not a reflection on him, but on the clan's teachings. Thus he would be given more education and guidance rather than being put down.

The reason why Juline and Kio were allowed to fight on a regular basis, and so violently, was simple. Their fights were a teaching aid for the others. There was also the fact that had they not been allowed to fight, neither teenager would have had a natural outlet for their passionate emotions. Grandfather Kenga had long ago declared that Juline and Kio were only allowed to resolve their disputes in the dojo.

Their current dispute was no exception.

Sparring was a tiring activity when one poured forth all of their effort and energy, such as the case with Juline and Kio when they partnered each other. Since they didn't pull their punches they used up the reserves of energy in their muscles quickly. By the time each managed to land a handful of solid hits they were slowing down to the speed of an average person. Of course landing five hits meant that they had tried to land about four times as many without success. Such was the negative aspect of being equal in ability.

"Truce," Juline gasped.

She was a little breathless and her heart pounded in her ears. Kio stopped pressing his attack and gratefully sank to the floor next to her. They sat back to back for support and focused on recovering.

"Juline," Ryoku called from the doorway.

"Ryoku!" Juline somehow hopped back up as though she hadn't just burned up her caloric intake of the week. Suddenly deprived of his bolster, Kio slumped to the ground. "How are you?" she asked of the tall, fair-haired man who had always been there for her.

"I'm fine," he said. His deep voice did funny things to her heart that she was just beginning to understand. "Come see me when you're done."

"Yes, Ryoku."

"'Yes, Ryoku.'" Kio mimicked in falsetto.

Juline stomped on his abdomen, eliciting a whoosh of air from Kio before she took off. Kio rubbed his sore abs and scowled after her retreating back.

"Tough luck, Kio," someone said. People had dispersed to continue their previous activities. There were only two people standing close enough to have spoken.

Kio glared at the bleach-blond boy. "What are you talking about, Hara?"

"You and Juline. There's no chance, buddy." Hara and Kei nodded in unison as if they saw everything clearly. Their pity made Kio feel sick. "She's head over heels for Ryoku. Has been since before any of us knew that boys and girls were different. You're just setting yourself up for heartbreak."

Kio left without responding.

What could he say? Everything that Hara said was true. He had seen it since they were little kids. He was Juline's best friend, but her first love was Ryoku. He couldn't do anything to change her feelings. If he did that, he risked losing her friendship. That was not a chance he was willing to take. He needed her. Without Juline in his life, it would be painful to live. From birth they had been together; it was natural for them to be closer than siblings, more than best friends. But how much further would he dare to push the envelope? Could he bridge the gap?

***

"What did you want to see me about, Ryoku?" Juline perched on the windowsill of Ryoku's austerely furnished room and swung her slipper covered feet.

"Juline, you're turning fifteen soon."

Ryoku studied the young girl, no, young woman, he had helped to bring up. She had changed in subtle ways from the gregarious child that she had been. She was still outgoing, but more reserved in her affections, more selective in her friendships. From what he could see she only truly opened up to him and Kio; sometimes he even felt left out as she shared her deepest secrets with his nephew alone. It was as if she grouped people in her mind and only a certain few were allowed in the inner circle. It was something that he was grateful she had learned to do, but a part of him also wished that she had never had to learn to be cautious of people.

"I was wondering what you wanted to do for your celebration."

"Celebration?" Juline's smile was brilliant. "Really?!"

Ryoku couldn't help but respond to her happiness. "Yes, really. Your mother was thinking of giving you a party. She said that you could invite your classmates and any other friends you would like to come."

Juline cheered. "Yes. Yes. Yes! I would love to have a party!" She hopped off the windowsill and twirled about his room. Light as air and almost insubstantial for a brief moment as her fluttering motions gave the illusion of a bird in flight. Ryoku had to blink away the phantom image. "When will it be? How many people may I invite? Will we have it in the dojo? Or can I have an outdoor party?"

"How about next weekend? As many people as you like. And it's up to you whether you want it in or outdoors. This is going to be your birthday party so you get to have your pick."

Juline let out a joyful sound and raced out the door, departing with the words, "This is great! I've gotta tell Kio. Thanks Ryoku. You're the best guardian ever."

Ryoku sat down. He shook his head ruefully. "Little Juline. You've grown so much, yet your innocence is untouched. I dread the day you discover your feelings for Kio, and his for you."

***

And then she had gone to tell Kio, but he had already gone home. She remembered being disappointed and wanting to rush after him, common sense being the only thing holding her back from running full speed to the Shiga restaurant. What happened after that? Why couldn't she remember? Had she just gone back, had dinner and gone to bed? She must have because she was in her sleeping clothes.

Juline suddenly wished that she had something warmer on. At least something more substantial than her nightgown would have been appreciated... What the heck was she doing out at night in a nightgown? Juline flushed beet red. Her mother would kill her. No. Forget that. Ryoku would never let her outside again. She'd be grounded for life for this one.

"Get a hold of yourself, silly. If you just turn back now no one would be any wiser."

That was a good idea. Juline considered it for an inordinately long amount of time. Looking back to the house she thought of her options. Certainly returning was the logical choice. She should get back inside where it was safe and there wasn't fog curling in plumes of mist that bit at her ankles. Get back in bed where she could curl up under the covers and warm her chilled limbs.

Intuition told her not to return; the house wasn't safe. There was something malevolent about it that had never been there in the daylight hours, something evil and eager to corrupt. It suddenly didn't matter what direction she went in so long as it took her away from the house.

Juline took a faltering step, followed by two more, and then she broke into a full headlong sprint. Fear choked her and she wanted Kio to be there. Where was he anyhow? Didn't he know that she was terrified and lost? He was supposed to be there, always.

"Kio!" she screamed his name. "KIO!"

She tripped on a root and cursed herself. Of all times to behave like a typical girl, it had to be when she was in danger of being scared to death. The stress was too much. She felt a sob gather power in her throat.

"Kio," she whimpered.

_Juline..._

"Father?"

_Juline... _

She swiveled her head frantically. "Who is it? Who's there?!"

_Juline... _

"This isn't funny!" She suddenly found strength in anger. "Come out and show yourself, you coward!"

Blessed silence. Juline hoped that it would remain that way. The voice was cruel. She knew that it sounded like her beloved father's voice on purpose.

_Little bird, _

Fly. Fly away. 

Spread your wings, 

Take to the skies, 

Little Juline...

Fly to me...

"No..." Juline whispered. She clapped both hands over her ears in a vain attempt to dispel the voice that tormented her. "Please. No more."

"Juline!"

"No!"

"Juline!"

She cautiously removed her hands. That exasperated tone... she recognized it. She stood and searched for him through the thick mist.

"Kio!" she called. "I'm over here!"

"Juline, keep talking. I'll find you."

"Here, Kio." She could tell that he was closer. "I'm right- ugh." Juline rubbed her abused nose. He had walked right into her. "...Here," she finished.

Kio grabbed her bare arms. He had been searching forever and had almost given up hope of finding her whereabouts in the fog. "Juline, are you all right?"

He quickly removed his felt lined jacket to drape it over her shoulders. Juline pulled the lapels close and leaned into the heat that he generated. Her face met with the scratchy wool of his sweater.

"I'm fine. I was lost and scared," she confessed, "but I'm fine now." Juline pulled back to look into his coffee brown eyes. "How did you find me?"

"It was a minor miracle." Kio tugged on the jacket sleeves that were too long for her petite build. His heart beat a mile a minute from the worry that her disappearance had caused, but at the moment he didn't care if she could feel it through the layers that separated them. He just wanted to hug her and let his mind absorb the fact that she was safe and sound. "I couldn't see in this weird fog. Every time I thought I was on your trail I wound up back at the dojo. Weird huh?"

Juline shivered. "Yeah, weird."

Was the house safe to return to? She didn't want to go back yet. Even if everything was fine, she didn't want to go back to where her fears had started.

"Kio?"

"Hm?"

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Juline prayed that he wouldn't ask any questions. She certainly didn't have the answers. All she had was a jumble of feelings that left her feeling exhausted.

"Sure..." Kio wanted to ask why, but she was so tense in his arms that he was afraid she would shatter any moment. He tried to inject some lightheartedness into the situation. "We'll have to call Ryoku from my place or he'll have my head on a platter."

Juline smiled. Kio could be so sweet. "Thanks, Kio. I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one, young lady," he faked grumpiness. "I was called awake in the middle of the night to come get you. I figure that with this you owe me about two five-scoop ice cream sundaes at Baskin Robbins."

"Two?!"

"Yes, two." Kio slung an arm around her slim shoulders good-naturedly. They began to once again walk away from the House of Kenga. Only this time they had a destination. "You owe me for coming out here tonight and one for earlier when you called uncle in the fight."

"What?!" Juline screeched. "I only stopped because you looked dead on your feet. I could have lasted much longer."

Kio couldn't let that pass. "No way, Juline. I had the fight under control. You were the one who was getting woozy just from a little exercise. Maybe you should lay off on those ice cream sundaes yourself, huh."

"Why you!"

**[End part 1]**

**Author's notes:**

Hmm... I anticipate that many displeased people will be emailing me about Full Circle. *shrug* Oh well. ^_^ In my defense, I just can't help myself. Inspiration strikes at the oddest times and I can't always control in what form it takes.

Juline is one of my favorite characters and, as you can probably tell, Kio is also a favorite. Heck, next to Kenshin and Kaoru, I have a hard time thinking of any "original" pairing that I like more than these two. They're not childish and they're not angst-filled suicidal types. They're just plain fun! Check out the series if you haven't already. It's well worth collecting.

  


* * *

[i] Suddenly forgot how to spell this! Clue me in, please.


	3. The Dynamics of Schoolgirl Crushes

Title:

****

When the Caged Bird Sings

Author:

Shun'u** [ff.net ID: 61008]**

Genre:

****

Drama/Supernatural

Series:

****

Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)

Rating:

****

PG

Notes:

****

(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio

****

Disclaimer: Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and © Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties. "When the Caged Bird Sings" © Hanashiro, Shun'u, 2001-2002.

****

December 2001

****

W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S

A Juline Fan Fiction

By Hanashiro, Shun'u

Part 2: The Dynamics of Schoolgirl Crushes

"Did you hear, Mitsuyo?"

"Yeah, my mom's freaked out about it. She won't let me out of the house after sunset. What about you, Aiko?"

"Same here, except it's my dad. He's talking' about driving me to and from school too. Jeez. You'd think that I'm the next target or something."

"Hey, cool, Aiko." Naoe piped in. "I'd love having a ride to school every day. Almost like having your own limo service, isn't it?" The three girls giggled before leaning in close once more to share the latest gossip in their small town.

Aiko, the one with the overprotective father, said, "It's not as though I look anything like the victims. News said that all the girls look alike. Long hair, pretty, petite, big round eyes." Aiko never had trouble laughing at herself. She stood up and made a sweeping gesture to include all of her chubby glory. "Would anyone think of kidnapping this? Overweight, chocolate-loving, kinky haired, four-eyed bookworms aren't the fashion statement this spring. The only thing I have in common with those girls is being short."

Again the three fell into gales of good-natured laughter. They drew a few irritated glances from those classmates trying to cram in last minute studying, but otherwise their hilarity was ignored as a commonplace occurrence. Amongst those ignoring their noise were Kio and Juline, who had just entered the study hall room together and were, as usual, in deep conversation about something that they would only share with each other.

Mitsuyo said in a hushed tone, "Hey, take a look. Don't you think Juline has all of the things the kidnapper's looking for? She's tiny and has long hair and the biggest eyes I've ever seen."

"And she's the prettiest girl in the whole school," Naoe agreed. "All of the guys are halfway in love with her."

That was news for Aiko. She complained, "You guys! I didn't know that. We're supposed to share info with each other." Curiosity drove her to ask, "How come no one's asked her out yet?"

Naoe and Mitsuyo traded a knowing glance and clued in their clueless friend. "'Cause Kio would pound them into the ground if they came anywhere near her." They shared a longing, gusty sigh and simultaneously said, "He's _so_ cute."

Aiko felt an imaginary bead of sweat, like those drawn in her manga, roll down her head. "Man, have you two got it bad."

Naoe was still staring at Kio's strong, uniform-clad back in starry-eyed fascination. "I think I've been ruined for men. He's everything a girl could ask for: strong and intelligent with a good sense of humor. Juline's so lucky to have him."

"Yeah." Mitsuyo propped her chin in her palm. She added, "He's kind and polite with everyone, yet cocky and sure of himself at the same time. And his eyes! I can just drown in them forever."

Aiko wiggled her fingers in front of their bemused faces. "Hello? Guys, we're talking about Kio, remember? This is the guy we've gone to school with all of our lives – the guy who's attached at the hip to Juline Kenga, practically lives in her house, and would give both of his arms and a kidney if she asked him to." Then she added with insight uncommon for one of her age, "Even if Juline weren't in the picture, he'd be looking for her his entire life. They're like soul mates or something."

Naoe and Mitsuyo thought that was the most romantic thing they had ever heard. When they continued to sigh and showed no signs of recovering from their daydreams, Aiko gave up reasoning with them. Her best friends were such hopeless nutcases when it came to the subject of Kio Shiga. Too bad he had no idea about the affect that he had on the female population.

"And they say _I'm _clueless."

***

"So what did Ryoku say last night?" Kio asked. Juline opened up her notebook and brought out her gel pen and mechanical pencil.

"He said that I had to go straight home today after gymnastics," Juline said. She didn't know it, but she was pouting. Kio stuffed his hands deep into his pockets so as not to give into the urge to pinch her cheeks and make funny faces just to see what her reaction would be.

"I can't even go to the noodle house and have dinner with you. His words were, 'It's dangerous now with a killer on the loose. I don't want you out any more than you have to be.' This sucks," Juline grouched as she pulled out her English and Trigonometry books. "He can't protect me forever. I'll be fifteen soon, then sixteen, then seventeen and, before anyone knows it, I'll be a grown woman. What'll he do then, lock me up in my room?"

Kio thought that was precisely what Ryoku would do. He mumbled, "He might."

"What'd you say, Kio?"

"Nothing." Kio freed one of his hands and pulled out his seat. Turning it around, he sat down and crossed his arms over the back of the chair. "Was he mad about what happened?"

Juline frowned and erased a mistake in her homework. "I don't know… he didn't _sound_ mad. But then, with Ryoku, it's hard to tell. He can be so tightlipped about things sometimes, it's worse than pulling teeth to get a straight answer out of him when he thinks he's doing what's best for you."

Kio knew that everything Juline said was right on the mark. Ryoku was a great mentor and arguably the best martial artist of his generation, however, neither of these facts meant that he was infallible. The current heir to the House of Kenga was overbearing in regards to Juline. He took his guardianship of her to heart and treated Juline much like an adored niece or little sister. And just as if she were family, and he "The Older Male Relative", Ryoku was overprotective and had a heavy hand when it came to rules.

Sometimes Kio thought that the only thing preventing Ryoku from treating Kio with suspicion, like he did to other people Juline associated with outside of the dojo, was the fact that Ryoku was his uncle on his paternal side. Family was a wonderful thing. If only Kio could convince his dad of that, maybe his dad would stay home more instead of wandering around and popping up unpredictably.

"…And then he tried to hug me, the creep."

It was like someone had splashed cold water on his face. "What?!" Kio grabbed her right wrist, causing Juline to drop her pencil in surprise. "Who?"

The pencil rolled to a precarious stop at the edge of Juline's desk. She said, "Yamazaki-kun. Weren't you listening to me, Kio?"

Kio asked, "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday…" Juline tugged at her wrist without success. His grip was tight enough to cut off her circulation. She was quickly losing sensation in her fingertips. "Kio, you're hurting me."

He dropped her hand like it was a hot coal. Remorse immediately hit him when he saw the finger shaped bruises that encircled her delicate wrist. Kio touched one of them with his fingertips. He had never hurt her before. Even with all of their sparring, he had never hurt her. Doing so now made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I'm sorry, Juline."

Juline shook her head. "It's okay. You didn't mean to."

Kio was relieved. However, that did not mean he had forgotten the reason for his abrupt actions. He stood and shoved the chair back to its place behind his desk. "Juline, I forgot my homework in my locker. I'll be right back."

Juline nodded absently. Kio always forgot his homework. Speaking of which, hers was in a sad state and in severe need of corrections.

She said, "Meet me in the library before lunch, okay?"

"Sure thing." He disappeared through the doorway at a jog. There wasn't much time before the period would end and he had to meet Juline.

***

Yamazaki Hiro was walking down the hallway before the final bell and chatting with his soccer buddies when a fist slammed into the wall in front of him. Startled, he jerked back and rounded on the boy who dared to challenge him, the school's soccer captain and most popular athlete. He scowled at the black haired martial artist now leaning against the wall where his fist had created a small crater.

"Shiga! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kio's smile was tight and forced. "Tell your tagalongs to disappear, Yamazaki. I want a word with you."

Normally Yamazaki wouldn't have stood for being spoken to that way by the Shiga boy. There was an understanding between them: they hated each other's guts. The bad blood had begun in kindergarten days when Juline had had a seat next to Shiga and in front of Yamazaki. He had had a lot of fun picking on her hairstyle because it looked like the little girl had two cinnamon buns on her head and Juline could always be depended on for a reaction. For many weeks he continued to poke and prod at her hair, but never did he touch it until one day when he made the mistake of tugging on Juline's hair in hopes that it would fall out of the buns.

From that moment on it was war between the boys. Shiga had cornered him during recess and made it clear that he did not appreciate anyone having fun at Juline's expense, and he most certainly did not like anyone touching his best friend. Yamazaki had stood his ground. Their fight had lasted until the teachers came out and broke them apart. Years passed and nothing changed between them.

Yamazaki went about paving his way towards popularity. Having a Japanese father and American mother, Yamazaki had the best of his mixed blood heritage. With natural auburn hair that fell in stylish asymmetrical waves to touch the high collar of his shirt, bright green eyes that slanted exotically, combined with the lanky build typical of most Japanese men, Yamazaki had no problems succeeding. The only thorn in his side was Shiga who was equally, if not more, popular simply by existing. The bastard.

Yamazaki waved his friends away and waited until they were gone before facing off with his archrival. In this instance he knew what Shiga was seeking him out for. He had anticipated a confrontation since yesterday, when he had acted on impulse and asked Juline for a date. Shiga probably thought that he was picking on the girl again, but he wasn't. Yamazaki couldn't remember a day in his life when he didn't dream about Juline Kenga…

That was why Shiga was so intent on keeping him away from Juline.

"What do you want, Shiga. I don't have time for the likes of you."

Kio dropped the pretense of semi-friendliness once they were alone. "You have three seconds to start explaining."

***

Someone was staring at her; she could feel eyes digging into her back.

Juline stopped writing, put her pencil down, and pushed her chair away from the desk just far enough so that she could easily rise without tripping or knocking it over. Whoever was doing the staring was not friendly. She could tell that much by the weight of the person's presence, a heaviness that implied malice and caused her sixth sense to go haywire.

Shivers ran up and down Juline's spine and she briefly thought, _If only Kio was back from whatever he's doing._ She would have felt better if he were there because they could then stand back to back and have all four-corners of the classroom covered. Since he wasn't, she made do with keeping her eyes and ears open, as well as her nose. A lot of people made the mistake of not using that particular sense in a fight, but Juline had learned a long time ago that her sense of smell was also important. It had saved her from ambush on a number of occasions when she was able to smell her assailant's cologne before actually seeing him or her in the shadows.

This person smelled like incense and water. The fresh smell of springtime lakes dampened by the clinging smoke of burnt herbs. Juline didn't know of anyone who used incense so much that they reeked of its perfume. And this person wasn't even close… Juline released a breath when she felt him leave.

__

He?

Somehow Juline was certain that it had been a man. What she didn't know was how she could have known in the first place. Juline shivered and sat back down, not out of want but necessity; her legs were trembling so much that she couldn't have stood for much longer. The mysterious stranger had shaken her up more than she wanted to admit.

***

It was a while before either Aiko or Mitsuyo noticed that their friend had not returned from her trip to the restroom. Ten minutes had passed since they left study hall to sit down for lunch beneath a large maple tree just on the school's perimeter. Naoe had said that she would join them shortly, yet there was still no sign of Naoe's sprite-like form. Normally Mitsuyo and Aiko weren't ones to fret, but in light of their recent conversation, they were uneasy.

"Say, Mitsuyo, shouldn't Naoe be back by now?"

Mitsuyo scanned the yard for any sign of long curly hair and waifish features. Usually the curls made it easy to spot Naoe in a crowd, that being uncommon in Japan, but today not one girl in sight had a curl or wave to her head. She thought that she had found Naoe at last when she caught a flash of movement but it was Juline rushing by with enough speed that her hair streamed out behind her in a golden brown banner.

She gave up looking when it was obvious that Naoe was nowhere in sight, "Let's go check the restroom, Aiko. Maybe she's not feeling well."

The two girls left their unopened bento boxes beneath the tree to find their friend. It turned out that no one had seen her since lunch began. Most of the students they questioned simply assumed that the thin, quiet girl had been with Aiko and Mitsuyo as usual; the three of them were known to be inseparable in school.

At last it was Aiko who voiced their shared fears, "Remember how we were talking about that killer last period?"

"Don't joke about that, Aiko-chan!" Mitsuyo almost shouted.

Aiko wasn't finished. "But don't you think that-"

"Aiko!" Mitsuyo was no longer in a good mood. She was honestly afraid of where Aiko was going with her speculation. She knew that Naoe fit all of the characteristics of the killer's victims. She knew only too well. Hadn't Naoe complained to them just a week ago that she was still trying to put some meat on her bones without success? Hadn't she said something about her hair getting in the way of playing tennis because it kept whipping into her face? Mitsuyo closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "We can't think like that, Aiko-chan. Naoe probably just got sidetracked by something. You know how she loses focus whenever someone catches her attention. Someone probably called her over and she's talking to them right now."

Aiko wasn't convinced. However, she also knew that she was upsetting her friend so she let the matter drop. "Okay, we'll give her a couple of more minutes, then we'll go looking again."

***

"Listen you little punk," Yamazaki hissed into Kio's face. He was grateful that he was taller, seeing as how the other boy had more muscle mass despite his deceptively lean build. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but don't take that tone with me unless you're able to back it up with your fists."

Instead of cowing like any good underclassman would do, Kio smiled and punched Yamazaki in the face before the other boy could read his intentions. Yamazaki flew into the opposite wall with a satisfying crack and clutched at his blood spurting nose as he rolled into a pain filled ball. Kio crouched down to look Yamazaki in the eye.

"Do you need any more proof that I can back up my words, Yamazaki?"

Down the hallway a passing student froze at the tableau laid out before him. Yamazaki knew that by the end of the day word would have spread like wildfire and his hard earned reputation as a tough-as-nails freshman would be ruined. All because of the dark boy who had just let fly with the best straight punch Yamazaki had ever seen. If only he had witnessed it from a spectator's point of view instead of first hand experience. He winced when he felt nasal bones shift beneath his touch.

"Shit," Yamazaki said. He was blotting his nose with a tissue but the bleeding wouldn't stop. His hands were wet from blood and his head throbbed from where it impacted with the wall. It wouldn't have surprised him to find out he had a concussion. "Did you have to hit me so hard, Shiga?"

Kio was getting impatient. He had come with the intention of finding out the details of what had happened between Yamazaki and Juline. He hadn't meant to lose his temper. At first. Then Yamazaki had antagonized him with his superior attitude. That combined with the thought of the redhead touching Juline… well, Kio thought that the punch was well deserved.

Just when Kio would have answered, a scream pierced the stagnant air that permeated the school's poorly ventilated halls. Fast on its heels came the sound of running feet and then more screams and cries from students and teachers alike. Kio and Yamazaki shared a bewildered glance before they both ran towards the commotion. What they found was a lot more than either could possibly have imagined in their nightmares.

The remains of what had once been a girl's school uniform were shredded and scattered throughout the library. Each strip of cloth, if not saturated, was at least spotted in red. Some hung from the ceiling lights, others dangled over books and desks. The girl that the uniform must have belonged to was spread out in the middle of the macabre scene. Atop the long table normally used for new book displays, she was naked except for her headband and equally soaked in her own life fluid.

Yamazaki took all of this in at the same time as Kio. Both were frozen in the same horror and shock that the rest of those present experienced. The girl had been a classmate of theirs; they had known her all of their lives. Teachers began ushering everyone out, helping those who simply couldn't get going on their own with a gentle push and words of comfort that failed miserably in their task.

"Everyone, stay calm." One teacher was saying. "We need to clear this room for the police, so please exit-"

"NO!"

A girl shoved through the crowd and stood gasping with her hair in disarray. Tears were running down her cheeks and she was almost hyperventilating with the rapid force of her breaths.

"Kimura-san." The teacher's voice was strained from holding in his own emotion. "Please-"

"Naoe!" Mitsuyo sobbed.

"Mitsuyo-chan…"

Aiko was shaken but she forced herself to move towards Mitsuyo. Coagulating blood made her oxfords stick to the ground and make disgusting squelching noises. The coppery stench made her gag. Switching to breathing through her mouth proved to have very little improvement. She had to remember to burn her shoes when she got home.

"Come on Mitsuyo-chan." Aiko looked at the corpse of her friend and saw the sightless, staring eyes. The killer hadn't even bothered to close her eyes. There was still horror written on Naoe's pixie face. "There's nothing you can do for her now."

Mitsuyo sobbed into her shoulder, allowing Aiko to take her away. Together their feet dragged blood into the hallway. Everyone else followed suit. Kio and Yamazaki were no exception. Last to leave, they closed the door behind them. Kio wished that he had never been around to see such a gruesome sight. Then he remembered whom he was supposed to meet in the library.

"Juline!"

Yamazaki shook his head and asked, "What'd you say, Shiga?"

By the time he was fully turned, Kio was gone.

[End part 2]

****

Author's Notes:

This is a short chapter… ^^; But at least it's posted, right? Let me know what you think of it so far. Don't worry about the original characters. They're just going to serve their purpose and disappear. ^_~

****

Definitions:

Just some basic suffixes. I just can't help myself. Using these on a regular basis over here… it's odd to hear someone say Mister or Miss nowadays.

****

-san: Generic suffix. Appropriate for all occasions. In English would translate into Mr./Mrs./Ms.

****

-chan: Usually used for children, between children, between women, or between siblings. "-chan" shows affection and can carry the connotations of "little" or "cute". Anyone remember how Ukyô always called Ranma, Ranma-chan? Viz chose to translate that "chan" as Ranma-honey. Yuck…

****

-kun: Usually used between people of equal status: peers. This is not to be used towards someone who is your superior. That's why it's okay to use this between fellow classmates in the same grade. You don't use this with an upperclassman; use "senpai" (sometimes spelled as "sempai") for an upperclassman.


	4. Blood and Tears

Title:

****

When the Caged Bird Sings

Author:

**Shun'u**** [ff.net ID: 61008]**

Genre:

****

Drama

Series:

****

Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)

Rating:

****

PG

Notes:

****

(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio

****

Disclaimer: Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and © Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties. "When the Caged Bird Sings" is an original fanfiction © to Shun'u Hanashiro

****

July 2002

W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S

A Juline Fan Fiction

By Shun'u Hanashiro

****

Part 3: Blood and Tears

In an absent fashion, he traced the white column of flesh with pale hands. Fingertips lightly touching the blue cotton of her shirt as it gaped to expose youthful skin, he observed his own actions with a hard-earned detachment that had taken years to perfect. She lay still and unresponsive beneath hands that had once been warm and calloused by hard labor. Hands now cold and slender. They would almost be deemed feminine, so smooth were they, had it not been for the ridges on his fingertips and thick pads on his palms from handling his weapons.

He stopped his tracery at the tip of one pointed pale-blue collar. Morbid fascination gripped him. He wondered at what point the rest of his body had thinned out and lost its muscular bulk to become… soft and hard all at once… like her. Or was it a he? _It_ seemed most appropriate, not that he dared to ever call it that.

Black Pearl: the creature that had created him, that had defeated him in battle. Beaten him; molded him; defined him as he now was.

When had he given up on everything that had ever held value to him to become…

Sai.

Was he a puppet? Yes.

Was he a toy? Certainly.

He was the Black Pearl's weapon. Used to kill innocent little girls like the one that lay at his feet with her dark hair fanned out to frame a face still rounded with baby-fat.

A brief vision of another little girl with similar features flittered through his consciousness. She was familiar – a frequent visitor in his dreams and someone he often thought about on nights when insomnia kept him from rest. Was she a figment of his overactive imagination, or a real person? Someone who had mattered to him in a time long gone? Was she the reason why Black Pearl ordered him to kill? Every child that he murdered resembled the dream girl in some way. Was killing that same child over and over again his punishment for being disobedient? For trying to retain his identity?

A quiet rustle. Reality shifted back to the present.

"Sai…"

He lifted his hands to grip the wooden staff that was his primary weapon. "Madam?" Cloying incense surrounded and threatened to suffocate him.

"Why do you hesitate?"

"…I'm not…"

"Yes," Black Pearl glided to a halt behind him, her long skirts swishing as it brushed against his back, "you do."

Black Pearl clutched his shoulder and drew him up. Standing toe to toe he was taller, though not by much. She was tall in her own right. As always he had to stifle a shudder of revulsion at her proximity. He didn't know what it was, but something about her always repelled him. Unlike the others in their clan who adored their mistress, he couldn't bear to be near her for long stretches of time.

"You resist your training?"

"I… do not wish to kill… an innocent…"

"Ah," she leaned close to rest her chin on his shoulder, "I see. However, Sai, she is not so innocent as she seems."

Sai knew better than to question his mistress. "Yes, Madam."

Black Pearl brushed wayward strands of hair out of her face with a graceful, calculated gesture that managed to tangle her lacquered nails in his black hair in the process. Sai focused on a distant spot, stubbornly oblivious and silently refusing to participate in her seductive games. His loyalty was without question and he would serve Black Pearl to his dying breath; but in this he would not submit. One last warm breath brushed against the back of his neck and then Black Pearl released her hold.

"You are stubborn," Black Pearl commented mildly. She glided away from him with another soft rustle. Everything about her seemed soft until she was angered. Then it became clear that a core of steel existed beneath the gentle mask. "Very good, Sai. I do not like weaklings. You will serve me well…"

Black Pearl paused to emphasize her next words. "But do not forget who is the master here. You will kill that girl and every other one that I tell you to kill without question or hesitation. I do not tolerate insubordinate behavior in any of the four guardians, even if you are my favorite. You will be punished for tonight."

***

Kio had looked everywhere but still could not find Juline amongst the students. Shortly after he had taken off from the library, an intercom announcement was made by the school secretary instructing all students and teachers to please report to their assigned classrooms until further notice. The elderly woman's voice quivered as she nervously instructed everyone to remain calm. Word had spread about the brutal murder committed in the library. Everyone was in a panic. A quickening energy was gathering and no one could fail to sense the foreboding.

That panic ran rampant through Kio's blood until he finally spotted Juline coming out of the girl's lavatory at the other end of the hall from the library.

"JULINE!"

"Kio?" She noticed the beads of sweat that dotted his brow and the harshness of his breathing. A frown marred her normally cheerful face. "What's wrong?" When he didn't say anything and only stared at her blankly, Juline touched his cheek in worry. "Kio—eh? Where're we going?" Over her shoulder, she watched the growing crowd at the other end of the corridor. "What's everyone doing over there?"

He ignored her question and tightened his grip around her wrist to keep her from going towards the murder scene. When she continued to tug on her arm, he said, "Come on, Juline. We have to get back to class."

"But-"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" He glanced at her quickly. Some indecipherable emotion pooled in his dark eyes. "Let's just go back to class."

"I-" Juline would have said something else, but… his eyes prevented her from arguing. "Okay… but you have to promise to let me know what's going on later. Promise?"

Kio breathed a little easier. "Promise."

***

Kinoshita Shinji had always wanted to be an investigative police officer. That was actually what his dreams had revolved around as a teenager when he would watch the detective shows with their corny lines and one-hour resolutions. He had envisioned glory and fame as he solved crime after mysterious crime. Going through the academy he had pushed himself to be the best at every test they set for him – shooting the best percentile, scoring the highest on written exams, performing the best in any physical fitness test put to him. He had excelled because he wanted to be first on the list for selection to the biggest and most prestigious precincts.

Success was in his hands on the day he graduated top of his class and went home to his tiny apartment with its too low ceiling and one tatami bedroom with, not one, but three letters of recommendation from his instructors. Less than a week later he reported to his new job in a clean-pressed navy blue uniform, with a wallet full of change for the hot coffee vending machines, and a heart filled to the brim with happiness that his dreams had come true at the young age of twenty-four. Very few graduates were ever accepted into such a high position straight out of school. It was through the recommendation of the academy that he had been so lucky.

However… not a single one of his dreams had contained the rancid smells of blood, urine, and fecal matter. But that was precisely what he found when he arrived at the local middle school on what was supposed to be one of the most beautiful days of the year, answering a frantic call from a very obviously traumatized school principal.

Kinoshita covered his mouth as he surveyed the scene, careful to keep his hands close to his lanky body and not touching anything in fear of contaminating evidence. A couple of patrolmen had arrived just before him and had already secured the area with bright yellow tape. Now they were working at getting the curious teachers and students out of the vicinity so that the forensic team could get in and do its work. They had to take photographs first before anyone disrupted the scene with footprints or by moving potentially incriminating evidence around. The hardest part would be to get pictures that would accurately portray what they found… There was so much blood. So much… that poor child…

"Detective…" the patrolman tried to get his attention.

"Yes?" Kinoshita put on a pair of clean examining gloves. He made a practice of always keeping a pair on hand.

"We found something."

Kinoshita immediately focused all of his attention on the tired looking man. "I'm sorry… you're…" he took a swift glance at the nametag, "Nishioka, is it? What did you find?"

"This way please, Detective."

Nishioka led him around the display and study tables, where most of the carnage could be seen, towards the librarian's desk to the side of the large room. Just above the desk was another ceiling fan, and it was this that Nishioka pointed towards. Kinoshita moved forward when the other man stopped moving. The day had taken its toll on the patrolman.

Three neat piles were made of the books that had just been returned that morning. None of them had been disturbed and there were very few traces of blood in this corner. If anything, there were just a couple of splatters against the front of the desk. Kinoshita figured they had been projected from the center of the room due to the force of the attack. The pattern of the blood splatter suggested as much. Meticulously he crouched down, careful not to drop to his knees or lean too close to the desk, and took a closer look at the floor for any signs of footprints or scuffs. Finding none, he worked his gaze along the wall and finally upwards.

The ceiling fan made a low humming sound as its motor worked. Warm air blew against Kinoshita's face. He blinked as the current stung his eyes and tried to focus on the stationary center hub instead of the moving fan blades. And that was when he saw the faint red handprint obscured by the mobile pieces.

"Nishioka."

"Yes, sir?"

"Have forensics take a picture of this. Make sure they zoom in. I want prints."

***

"Did you finish your task, Sai?"

"Yes, Madam."

"As instructed, I hope." She drummed her long nails against the smooth polished wood of the armchair.

"Yes, Madam," Sai repeated with his head still bowed. He would remain in his submissive pose for as long as it amused his mistress. He would, Sai told himself.

"You understand, now, yes? Why it is so important to follow my orders without question." Black Pearl sighed gently. "If you hadn't angered me, then this would not have happened. That little girl would have grown… perhaps fallen in love and married some young man of her liking. Maybe she would have lived until ripe infirmity with little grandchildren running about, laughing and begging for sweets." Black Pearl twisted the knife a little deeper. "She wouldn't have had to die, Sai, if you had listened to me from the beginning."

Sai was choking on his own breath but he forced the words out, "Yes, Madam. I understand now."

"I am your mistress."

"Yes." He remembered the doe-like eyes. "You are my mistress."

"You will obey."

The long, streaming hair. "I will obey."

"Good." Black Pearl smiled and clapped her hands. Ghost-like servants manifested. "Bring some food and drink. Our first guardian has worked hard today. We will show our appreciation of his diligence."

***

It turned out that he never had to explain anything to Juline. Others did it for him. In gory detail, no less… Kio gritted his teeth, amazed that he hadn't worn them down to his gums from the multiple stresses of the day.

Juline was quiet beside him, walking sedately as they departed from school and headed towards his place. That alone gave Kio another reason to be angry. Juline was never sedate. She should have never found out in such a way… He had meant to break it to her gently and after a careful selection of words, not with glee and the intent to get a shocked reaction.

"Naoe-chan…"

"Juline, are you okay?"

She nodded and gave him a weak imitation of her normal smile. "Un. I'm fine. How about you?"

He shrugged. He wasn't fine, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Okay, I guess."

They walked a bit further in companionable silence. Each lost in their own thoughts and memories of a girl they had both known since grade school.

"Do you think that he killed her before…"

Kio winced. She was asking if Naoe had died before her killer had desecrated her body. How was he to tell her that there wouldn't be so much blood if Naoe had been dead? How was he to explain that in order for blood to flow and shed to such a great degree, the heart had to be pumping? No, he couldn't tell her that. In this he would spare her some pain.

"She was probably dead, Juline." He lied through his teeth. "She didn't feel anything."

And bless her, Juline accepted his answer readily and without further question. Kio sped up and caught her right hand in his left one. The rest of the way back to his family restaurant they walked with hands clasped and swinging with each step. Reminiscent of days gone by when they were innocent children and would walk to and from school holding hands without fear of what might be watching them from the shadows.

***

Ryoku stopped performing his pattern at its apex. Not something that he did on a regular basis as it interrupted the flow of energy coursing through his muscles, causing them to stiffen. Today though… he sensed something wrong… something was… off.

He pulled on his shirt and secured its ties with practiced ease, ignoring the unpleasant feel of fine-threaded cotton sticking to the sweat dripping down his back. Ryoku made long strides on his way to the house, quickening his pace with each moment. Something was off. He could feel it in his bones. Alarms were sounding off in his head, telling him to beware. Be cautious. Danger was afoot.

Tension and stress stiffened work weary muscles even more. Ryoku took a deep breath, mentally forcing then to relax as he started to lightly jog up the primary stairs of the building. When had it begun: this worry? Minutes, hours, maybe days ago? Was it last night when Juline went missing from the safety of her bedroom during the witching hours? Or a week ago when he had seen that momentary flash of envy in Hara's eyes as he watched Kio and Juline spar?

__

Or maybe when the murders began…

Ryoku remembered watching the news with Grandfather Kenga… and hearing the reporter describe the victims' shared characteristics with detached professionalism while a conspicuous, sheet-covered gurney rolled by. All like Juline in some way or another. Just innocent girls who hadn't lived long enough to do anyone harm. All with long hair and big eyes.

Grandfather had sensed it too, the sinister forces gathering around the House of Kenga, waiting for its walls to weaken before forming an orchestrated attack. That was why Juline had been reprimanded for leaving the house at nighttime. And that was why she was grounded and forbidden to venture anywhere other than to school, Kio's, or back to the House of Kenga for an undetermined period. Ryoku had been the one to suggest it. Grandfather Kenga had agreed. Both felt the shadows watching. Waiting.

He briefly wondered if it was more dangerous for Juline at the house than elsewhere, then dismissed the thought as being too fanciful. He was being overly suspicious. Of course she would be safer at home and amongst family. She was safer on the compound than anywhere else… no one outside of friends and kin knew the grounds. No one could attack her here… right?

****

Author's Notes:

Hisashiburi (it's been a long time)... Short chapter again, but hopefully not so boring. Need more action soon. Did you like how I portrayed Black Pearl or is she too overbearing? Lemme know! ^_^


	5. Action and Reaction

Title:

When the Caged Bird Sings

Author:

Shun'u [ff.net ID: 61008]

Genre:

Drama

Series:

Kakutou Komusume Juline/ Juline (US release)

Rating:

PG-13

Notes:

(House of Kenga) Juline, Seiju/Sai, Ryoku, and Shiga Kio

****

Disclaimer: Juline and all of the characters used in this fan fiction do not belong to me. They're the creation of and © Kakinouchi Narumi (also creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) and all subsequent parties. "When the Caged Bird Sings" is © Shun'u Hanashiro [h_shunu@hotmail.com].

****

December 2002

****

W H E N • T H E • C A G E D • B I R D • S I N G S

· |· A Juline Fanfiction · |· 

By Shun'u

The news reporter's voice droned on in a near monotone. Only occasionally would his facial muscles shift, tightening and relaxing, to show expression. To Kio it looked wholly unnatural for anyone to be that neutral. The balding reporter had probably been trained to look serious but the end effect was a face of utter boredom.

Sitting to his left, Juline remained attentive to the telecast. Her entire focus was on the screen and what was being said.

· |· **Part IV: Action and Reaction · **|· 

"And today there has been another unexplained death reported in the City of Yokohama. 15-yr old Tanaka Keiko was found brutally murdered in her residence at 1800 this evening. The police are not releasing any details at this time, but Detective Kinoshita Shinji is the head investigator in this string of grisly murders.

"So far there have been a total of six deaths reported in the last month. All of the victims have been school-aged girls ranging from age 13 to 17. Police will not confirm any conclusions of the ongoing investigations, but all six girls have shared similar physical traits: long hair, teen-aged, and petite.

"The murders have taken place in Ueno, Shinjuku, Kamakura, Shinagawa, Kanazawa-Bunko, and now Yokohama. Because all of these cities are located on the JR and peripheral train lines, there is no means for police to track how the perpetrators are traveling from city to city. Police have advised that parents keep their children at home after 1700 and be aware of their whereabouts at all times.

"If anyone has witnessed any suspicious activities in these areas in the last month, there is a toll free number you may call. It is 01…"

The television shut off with the faint click of the remote control. Juline remained immobile while Kio began tossing the remote in the air.

Toss.

Catch.

Flip.

Catch.

Toss.

"Kamakura…" Juline hugged her knees to her chest and curled her toes into the cushion, feeling the plush texture of Kio's hunter green sofa. "That was here. Naoe-chan… Two days ago."

Catch.

Kio rose abruptly and set the remote into the small woven basket underneath the dark-wood coffee table.

"You hungry?"

"Hm?"

"Come on." He tugged her off the comfortable sofa unceremoniously. "Mom made some macadamia white chocolate chip cookies this morning. She said for you to take some to the dojo for afternoon class."

"But we don't have afternoon class today," Juline protested. A frown darkened her face. "We cancelled all of the afternoon classes because everyone's parents are worried."

Kio ignored her feeble struggles for freedom and dumped her on one of the kitchen chairs. He began pulling out glasses from the cabinets. Next came a carton of milk and an enormous platter of cookies.

**********

__

"Juline. Juline, where are you, darling?"

A childish giggle followed by tiny running feet. She followed the sound until finally she reached a door located at the end of the family wing of the House of Kenga. Indecision made her pause on the threshold; this was her husband's private room, a place forbidden to everyone else in the clan but Grandfather Kenga – to whom it had belonged before Seiju became heir.

She timidly tapped the door with her fingertips. Well-oiled hinges gave way and the ash-wood door opened to a shadowed interior. Not a single glimmer of light revealed what lay within the incense-laden chamber except for the faint outline of a shuttered window. Terror clawed its way up from the dark recesses of her mind and gripped her in its razor sharp talons.

"Juline? Come out, sweetie. You know you aren't supposed to go in there."

A playful giggle was all she could hear in response. She dug into the wood frame with tense fingers.

Seiju had been behaving so oddly lately. The brilliant man whom she had married was no longer there. Not in his eyes. Not in his voice. In his place was a man who brooded and ignored the world that continued to revolve around him. The man that Seiju had become over the past year was not her adored husband. He was a stranger to her now: a mystery. A frightful creature that induced fear in his students now rather than love and respect.

She felt her breathing speed up as panic grew. Her daughter had been in the room a long time now. And all was silent. This room… this terrible room had been declared off limits. She dared not enter where her daughter intrepidly ventured.

…Juline…

Envy… She was bitterly ashamed of feeling jealousy towards her own daughter, but at the same time she could not stop the emotions. They were there. She was jealous of Juline for being the light of Seiju's existence. The bright beacon that brought him home after each mysterious training mission.

Here she was, wife and mother, and yet she was relegated to the sidelines of her family's life.

Nothing.

Insignificant.

Unneeded… unwanted…

But Juline…

Bile rose in the back of her throat unexpectedly. She rushed away. Back down the hall, back to her solitary bedroom, in which her husband had not stepped foot for the past nine months.

Since the day she miscarried their son…

In the bathroom she gagged on the lurching dry heaves. She could not bring herself to cry anymore.

**********

"Grandfather."

"Juline," the austere Master's face softened as he finished his meditation. Dark, nearly black eyes opened to see his granddaughter kneeling across from him expectantly. The energy she always brought with her wherever she went was a constant reminder of her father; Seiju had also had that palpable aura about him.

"You are late, Granddaughter."

"I'm sorry, Grandfather." Juline looked sheepish. "I lost track of time."

He nodded knowingly. "You were with young Kio."

Juline nodded. "Yes. We were doing English homework." Her lips turned down into a pout and her nose scrunched up. "I don't know why I have to take that class. It's not like I'll ever live anywhere else but Japan anyway."

"To open your mind, child," he admonished. "To bring the entire world into the palm of your hand." He rose. None of his age was apparent in the graceful, controlled movements of a martial artist. "Are you prepared for your lesson?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then let us begin."

He went to the far wall and opened a carved wooden chest. From its lined interior he retrieved two swords bearing resemblance to Chinese straight swords in design. One heavier, thicker than the other, with a simple spiral motif etched against the coal gray metal of the blade. The slimmer straight sword seemed quite dainty in comparison although it was at least four feet long. Its metal was iridescent. Light reflected off of the pattern-less blade with every motion, making the weapon appear fluid.

"Juline," her grandfather said, "do you know what these are?"

"No, grandfather." Juline reached out to touch the liquid silver sword, more than a little in awe of the weapon. "What are they? I've never seen them before."

"These," he held both at waist level and parallel to the ground, rotating his wrists so that she could see the swords more clearly, "used to belong to the founders of our school."

Juline stared at the swords with greater respect. She whispered, "You mean…"

"Our ancestors. Your many times great-grandparents."

He returned the heavier male sword to its casing, keeping the female sword out. Handing it to her, he let her test it for balance. Juline began her katas as her grandfather continued with his tale.

"The legend follows…"

**********

Sai faltered in his training exercise as exhaustion claimed his limbs. They ached and trembled, and the only thing keeping him from dropping the wooden staff was his stubborn refusal to give in to weakness.

Last night…

Last night had been a nightmare come to life. Sai bit the inside of his cheek ruthlessly to silence a shaky sob. He would not cry.

__

No!

He nearly broke the Bo in half with his bare hands. He would not cave to his weaker self.

__

No…

Don't think about it.

Don't remember.

Cleanse your mind.

You will be strong.

You need to be strong.

This was what he had wanted. What he had desired above all else. Forsaking everything that had held value to him to be powerful. To be the best in the world he had made sacrifices. No matter what those sacrifices would be…

Blood…

Dark hair cascading over his pale hands.

The cries… those terrible silent tears of despair.

Dark, accusing eyes.

Condemning him.

Reminding him… of another face… another…

Sai cried out as the whip cracked across his heavily lacerated back. His knees buckled and he desperately clung to the staff to hold himself upright. Clots reopened and more blood was shed as it dripped down his skin.

"Focus!" Black Pearl demanded coldly.

Another whiplash – this time across the back of his calves. Sai tasted the bubbling blood inside his mouth. His cheek began to swell and sting.

"Hold your stance!"

Sai breathed raggedly and his muscles screamed from the morning long abuse. But he held his stance.

Black Pearl rose upon her throne. Her lacquered nail impaled him in place without touching.

"You _will_ be strong. You_ will_ not fail me, Guardian," she ordered relentlessly. Black Pearl allowed a momentary pause as an attendant dressed in white draped a black cape over her shoulders. "I will purge you of this accursed weakness." Sai felt the burn of her cold rage. "Of this, I promise."

Numb and dull, Sai felt hands grip his arms on either side of him. They were the only part of him left untouched other than his front. The entire back of his body from shoulders down to ankles was patterned with a lattice network of welts and jagged cuts. Whip marks never healed well. Black Pearl knew this.

"What did you do?" A calm voice asked.

Sai uttered a bitter, choked laugh filled with self-derision. "What didn't I do?"

There was understanding, if not sympathy, in the voice as the other Guardian mimicked his question. "What didn't you do?"

Sai was nearly unconscious, but he whispered, "I would not rape a child for her."

Sympathetic hands lifted him, draped him over a shoulder.

"Then you are the strongest among us four."

Darkness engulfed Sai before he could tell them that they were wrong.

So terribly wrong…

****

[End Part IV]

**********

****

Author's Notes:

Whoo boy! Was that too… dark?

Hmm… please drop a review and let me know. :) I _love_ reviews. Hehe. Or email. Email is good. Emails and reviews are your friends… Er… I need some coffee… Starbucks!


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